Academic Writing

Global Learning Center

Future Tenses

Name: ______________________________________ ID: ___________________

INTRODUCTION

There are several different ways in English that you can talk about the future.

• Will
• (Be) Going to
• Present Progressive
• Simple Present
• Future Progressive
• Future Perfect

Present Progressive and Simple Present both refer to the present and to the future.

• Sam is revising his article with Dr. Brown right now.

• Sam is revising his article as soon as he comes back from the conference.

USE OF FUTURE TENSES IN ENGLISH

Simple Present Future Future

will-future going to-future
Present Progressive Progressive Perfect
 planned action
 prediction, in the future sth. will
action will
future already have
assumption  logical planned definitely
action is happened
 spontaneous consequence action in the happen (it
fixed (e.g. before a
action (sth. is going near future usually
timetable) certain time
to happen) happens)
in the future

The following links will give you some extra information about the different ways to
express future and the differences among them:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-6ZBRkZKWI
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv3HALcJGVc&spfreload=10

DIRECTIONS

1. Click on the provided links to review the tense’s rules (use, form, and
examples).
2. Answer the exercises.
WILL & SHALL

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpDDWBRHNRM

Link: http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/will_fut.htm

Link: https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/future-1-will

Link: http://www.grammar.cl/Notes/Future_Will.htm

Exercise 1

Say what your decision is in these situations, or what you offer to do. Use these verbs:
answer, carry, have, post, shut.

1. You and your friend have come into the room. The window is open, and it is
cold.
_______________________________________________________________

2. The phone is ringing. You are the nearest person to it.

_______________________________________________________________

3. The choice on the menu is fish or chicken. You hate fish.

_______________________________________________________________

4. You are meeting a friend at the station. He has two suitcases. There’s a bag
too.

_______________________________________________________________

5. Your friend has written a letter. You are going to walk into town past the post
office.

_______________________________________________________________

Exercise 2

Complete the conversation. Put in will or shall.

Rachel: What (1) __________ we do today?

Vicky: It would be nice to go out somewhere. The forecast says temperatures
(2) __________ rise to thirty degrees.
Jessica: (3) __________ we go for a walk?
Rachel: That sounds a bit boring. What about the seaside? We could get a bus.
Jessica: How much (4) __________ it cost? I haven’t got very much money.
Vicky: It isn’t far. It doesn’t cost much.
Jessica: Everywhere (5) __________ be so crowded today because it’s a holiday.
The journey (6) __________ take ages.
Rachel: Come on, Vicky. (7) ___________ we leave Jessica behind if she’s going
to be so miserable?
GOING TO

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZsFu3nyUiY

Link: https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/future-1-going-to

Link: https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-m_future-gt.htm

What would you say in these situations? Use these words: be sick, crash, get worse,
lose, not stop, rain.

1. The sky is full of dark clouds.

_______________________________________________________________

2. You feel awful. There’s a terrible feeling in your stomach.

_______________________________________________________________

3. You are playing Scrabble. The game is nearly over, and you are 100 points
behind.
_______________________________________________________________

4. You can see a plane coming down. It’s out of control and falling to the ground.
_______________________________________________________________

5. You are waiting for a train. There’s one coming, but you don’t know if it’s the
one you want. It’s travelling very fast.
_______________________________________________________________

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE / CONTINUOUS (for the future)

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-oQHHC-72I

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode73/languag
epoint.shtml

For each situation write a sentence with the Present Continuous. Use the verbs in
brackets.

1. Mike and Harriet have accepted an invitation to Tom’s party next week. (go)

_____________________________________________________________________

2. Laura has agreed to be in the office on Saturday. (work)

_____________________________________________________________________

3. Claire has just bought a plane ticket to Cairo dated 15 May. (fly)
_____________________________________________________________________

4. Mike has arranged a meeting with his boss at four o’clock this afternoon. (see)

_____________________________________________________________________

5. Mathew and Daniel have booked a tennis court for tomorrow afternoon. (play)

_____________________________________________________________________

SIMPLE PRESENT (for the future)

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdCIFlQwK5c

Link: https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-m_future-sp.htm

Put the verbs into the Present Continuous or the Present Simple.

Emma: What (1) _______________ (you / do) tonight?

Matthew: Well, (2) _______________ (I / go) to the station to meet my friend
Richard. (3) _______________ (he / stay) here for the weekend,
Remember? His train (4) _______________ (get) in at 8:15 pm.
Emma: Oh, of course. I’d forgotten about that.
Matthew: Maybe I’ll see you later. What (5) _______________ (you / do) tonight?
Emma: Oh, (6) _______________ (I / go) to the cinema with Vicky and Rachel
and a couple of other people. The film (7) _______________ (finish)
quite early, so (8) _______________ (we / go) to a pizza place
afterwards.

FUTURE PERFECT

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zErY5dar9Y

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdAZ4723_TM

Link: http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/futureperfect.html

Paul wants to be an artist. He’s reading about a famous artist called Winston Plummer.

Winston Plummer was a great artist, who had a wonderful career. He won lots
of prizes before he was 20. By the age of twenty-five he had his own exhibition. He
was the subject of a TV documentary by the time he was 30. By the age of 35 he had
become world-famous. He made millions of pounds from his pictures before he was
40.
Paul is daydreaming about his own future career. What is he thinking?

1. I hope ______________________________ before I’m 20.

2. Perhaps ______________________________ my own exhibition by the age of 25.
3. I wonder if ______________________________ by the time I’m 30.
4. Maybe ______________________________ by the age of 35.
5. I hope ______________________________ by the age of 40.

FUTURE PROGRESSIVE / CONTINUOUS

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxMy-7-IbGs

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTnxGl5MnJs

Link: http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/futurecontinuous.html

Complete the conversation. Put in a pronoun and the Future Continuous form of the verb.

Daniel: I’m going to go into business when I leave college. Five years from now
(1)_______________ (I / run) a big company. I expect (2) _______________
(I / earn) lots of money.

Vicky: I don’t know what (3) _______________ (I / do). What about you, Anne?
What (4) _______________ (you / do), do you think?

Anne: I’m too lazy to do any work. I intend to marry someone very rich.
(5) _______________ (I / give) dinner parties all the time. We’ll have a cook
(6) _______________ (who / do) all the work, of course. And you’ll both get
Invitations.

Vicky: You’re joking, aren’t you, Anne? I expect (7) _______________ (you / play)
In an orchestra. That’s what you really want to do, isn’t it?

FUTURE PERFECT PROGRESSIVE / CONTINUOUS

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPz_5NXh91E

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Euk9wo24UCk

Link: http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/futureperfectcontinuous.html

Link: http://www.englishtenses.com/tenses/future_perfect_continuous

Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the verb in parentheses
(future perfect simple or continuous)

1. By the time we get to Chicago this evening, we ____________________ (drive)

more than four hundred miles. We are going to be exhausted.
2. When Sarah goes on vacation next month, she ____________________ (study)
German for over two years. She should be able to communicate fairly well while
she is in Austria.
3. I have not traveled much yet; however, I ____________________(visit) the Grand
Canyon and San Francisco by the time I leave the United States.
4. 4. By the time you finish studying the verb tense tutorial, you
____________________(master) all twelve tenses including their passive forms.
5. Drive faster! If you don't hurry up, she ____________________ (have) the baby by
the time we get to the hospital.
6. I came to England six months ago. I started my economics course three months
ago. When I return to Australia, I ____________________ (study) for nine months
and I ____________________ (be) in England for exactly one year.
7. Margie just called and said she would be here at 8 o'clock. By the time she gets
here, we ____________________ (wait) for her for two hours.
8. Frank just changed jobs again. If he keeps this up, he ____________________
(change) jobs at least four or five times by the end of the year.
9. Come over to my house around 9 o'clock. By then, I ____________________
(complete) my history essay and we can go see a movie.
10. In June, my grandmother and grandfather ____________________ (be) married
for fifty years.

WILL & GOING TO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clXeY3cpslY

http://www.grammar.cl/Notes/Future_Will_vs_Going.htm

What would you say? Use will or be going to.

1. You want to express your intention to look round the museum.

Your friend: Do you have any plans for this afternoon?

You: Yes, _____________________________________________________.

2. You hate dogs. Dogs always attack you if they get the chance.

Your friend: That dog doesn’t look very friendly.

You: It’s coming towards us! ______________________________________.

3. You predict the landing of aliens on the earth in the next ten years.

Your friend: All this talk about aliens is complete nonsense, isn’t it?
You: Is it? I think _______________________________________________.
 4. You know that your friend’s sister has decided to get married.

Your friend: Have you heard about my sister?

You: Well, I heard that ___________________________________________.

5. You suddenly decide you want to invite Samantha for a meal.

Your friend: Did you know Samantha will be in town next weekend?
You: No, I didn’t. _______________________________________________.

WAS GOING TO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyYRyhvlf48

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FSnfS7-ohM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bFhZXEOiVk

Trevor is always making excuses for not doing things. Complete the sentences.

Put up the shelves / not have any screws

Sorry, I was going to put up the shelves, but I didn’t have any screws.

1. Paint the door / not feel very well

Sorry, ______________________________________________________________

2. Repair the lamp / forget

Oh, yes. ____________________________________________________________

3. Wallpaper the bedroom / not have time

Sorry, ______________________________________________________________

4. Go grocery shopping / feel bad

Well, _______________________________________________________________

5. Print the project / run out of ink

Sorry, ______________________________________________________________
 6. Wash the dishes / have a stomachache

Sorry, ______________________________________________________________

7. Do the homework / no Internet connection

Well, _______________________________________________________________

8. Prepare dinner / not find the ingredients

Oh, yes. ____________________________________________________________

FUTURE PERFECT, FUTURE CONTINUOUS, AND WAS GOING TO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48kdsro9rzM

Complete the following sentences with the correct for of the verb in parentheses. You can
use the Future Continuous (will be doing), the Future Perfect (will have done), or
was/were going to.

1. It’s quite a long way, isn’t it? We _______________ (walk) about five miles by the
time we get back, I’d say.
2. It’ll be better if you don’t ring at one o’clock. We _______________(have) lunch
then.
3. I _______________ (drive) over and see you, but there’s something wrong with the
car.
4. I’ve got loads of work. I expect I _______________ (work) all night. And I’m not
looking forward to it.
5. I’ll have much more time next week because I _______________ (do) all my exams
then.
6. We _______________ (buy) that computer game, but they don’t make it for the kind
of computer we’ve got.
7. I know you’ll put on a wonderful show. You _______________ (have) so much
practice by the time you perform it that it’s sure to be brilliant.

REFERENCES

 Englishpage.com Accesed October 14, 2016.

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs26.htm
 Eastwood. J. Oxford Grammar Practice. United Kingdom: Oxford University
Press. 2006.
 Youtube.com. Accesed October 5, 2016. http://www.youtube.com
 Other references stated in each of the exercises.